Careful What You Wish For
by sensual-irish
Summary: Her world had always been filled with melancholy, but when she makes a wish on a comet that rocks her world, Victoria falls straight into the arms of the one alchemist that wants nothing to do with her.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone! Welcome to my first FMA fanfiction. I will warn all of my readers, if I do not receive reviews, I will assume my story sucks and will not continue to update. Even if they are criticisms on how to improve my work, I will welcome them. Please enjoy the first chapter of **_**Careful What You Wish For.**_

**xx**

**~Irish**

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_Present Day-_

Victoria strolled down the riverside avenue in Amsterdam, iPod trilling "Fireflies" by Owl City through the tiny earbuds. She didn't notice that for once, no one was staring at her oddly colored hair, the only thinkg occupying her mind the final destination of this trip. She kicked a rock along the sidewalk, mind racing ahead of her current position. What would she find? Nothing could be worse that what she had left behind in the States, so whatever the result, she would be moving up in life.

Once of the small storefronts caught her eye with it's old-world charm. Victoria paused to look in the display window; it appeared to be a used bookstore. Her one weakness. Damn. She went inside, the bells on the heavy wooden door jangling cheerfully at her entrance. The smell of old books entered her nostrils; paper, ink and a slight musty aroma that always worked wonders for her endorphin meter.

"Welcome to our shop, my name is Mika. Let me know if you need help finding anything," the girl behind the counter chirped. She wore a large smile that shone across the dimly lit area, making Victoria think about asking who her cosmetic dentist was. She could use teeth that gorgeous. She guessed the girl couldn't be more than seventeen judging by the fresh, youthful fashion trend draped around her plush figure.

She immediately headed towards the back of the store, as if she was being guided by some higher power. Victoria could feel a slight pulsing at the edge of her mind, growing stronger with each step. Her feet stopped at the last bookshelf, a hodgepodge of old and newer books, apparently the newest arrivals that had yet to be put into categories.

She brushed her fingertips along the spines, stopping at a red, leather-bound volume. Being Irish, her granny had raised her to be superstitious about everything from the Fae to gut feelings. Although Victoria was skeptical about some of the things Gran taught her, the gut feelings had yet to let her down.

The throbbing in her consciousness had ceased entirely when she had touched the book. With hands that weren't quite steady, she wiggled the tome free of it's companions, and Victoria noticed that there was gilt on the edges of the pages as well as forming an intricate design on the cover. She traced the circular pattern and the lines weaving through it. Goosebumps prickled over her arms and the hair at the nape of her neck stood on end.

_Well, that is interesting,_ she mused. She brought it to the checkout, her imagination all ready working overtime with possible scenarios for a genre. "How much is this one?" she asked, though she didn't really care what the price was.

"Hmm, let me see," the girl pulled out a notebook and ran her finger down the page. "Looks like that one is seventy-five euros." Victoria's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "I know what you're thinking," the girl continued. Was she always so perky? "But there were only one hundred or so copies made, and this is the only known one to make it though all the bombing during World War II."

Victoria swore she could hear her wallet weeping as she handed over the correct change. Soon she was once again headed for the train station, book securely tucked away in her pack. She'd have plenty of time to work out it's mysteries on the ride to Berlin.

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_Berlin, early nineteen thirties_

Edward Elric was gitting sick of chasing this mad man all over Europe. The last two years he, Alphonse, and Noa had gallivanted through every country on the continent, and he still hadn't managed to stop the crazy alchemist/physicist with the uranium bomb. He sighed in a loud and irritated manner. Al looked away from the fire in the grate.

"What is it, Brother?" He asked.

Ed shook his head and gave a slight smile. "Nothing really, Al. Just a little homesick I guess. We should head out on patrol to see if we pick up any rumors soon though."

Al nodded in agreement and doused the flames. "I'll go find Noa. She should wait here in the room. Things are starting to get a little out of hand with this whole Ayran race concept." He turned and strolled out of their rented room. Ed was also concerned about the uprising of the Nazi party, but there wasn't much he could do about it at the moment. His father, once a great political figure, was dead and he himself was too busy country-hopping after that idiot of a scientist that he didn't have time to delve into the political cesspool.

"Maybe I'll go for a walk and clear my head," he brooded.

Outside, the air a little less stale than in the tiny room they had rented, Ed sat down on a nearby bench. His automail arm squeaked a little. The was no doubt that Winry was going to clobber him with her wrench when she saw the condition of his arm and leg. Probably the titanium one. He laughed a little at the thought.

Somebody sat down beside him.

Ed looked over to find his brother staring pensively at the sky. "Noa's upstairs. I told her we'd be back in an hour or so." Ed just nodded. "Brother, do you think we'll ever be able to go home?"

"I don't know, Al. But if there is any, we'll be sure to find it. I _am_ a genius after all."

Al sighed wistfully. "Yeah."

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_Present Day - _

Victoria turned the page of the leather-bound book. Upon opening the front cover, she was surprised that the book was basically a beginner's guide to alchemy. The author, A. Elric, made the fictional science almost seem possible with the way he described the processes. Out of curiosity, she pulled out a sketchpad and a pencil. Carefully, she sketched out the details of the transmutation circle. Not completely sure what it was for, she got the urge to add an extra line, causing a slight asymmetrical look.

Nothing happened.

"Well I guess that answers my question. Just a work of fiction after all," she laughed at herself lightly. Victoria sighed and looked out the compartment window. A comet was streaking across the sky. She knew there was some myth associated with comets, something about bringing prayers to heaven or something. Looking on the hopeful side, Victoria closed her eyes and whispered a wish to the comet.

"I wish that I could find where I truly belong."

Victoria didn't notice when her hands slipped across the paper. Didn't realize that the transmutation circle started to glow with a cool blue light. She certainly did notice when the train car began to shake violently, making her eyes fly open. A bright light had opened up in the air in front of her, almost like what she imagined a wormhole to look, and started pulling her body into it. Victoria couldn't fight against the inexorable gravity as it pulled her in. She didn't even have a chance to scream.

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Ed felt a tingle along his skin, an almost forgotten feeling, but it couldn't be what he thought. He had been feeling homesick, so his mind was making him remember things, that's all. Alchemy could not be practiced in this realm, it was a scientific impossibility.

Al gave an excited gasp and pointed toward the sky. "Brother, look! A comet!"

Ed followed Alphonse's gaze and smiled at the pretty sight of the multicolored tail of the comet blazing across the sky. He had never seen one before, even back home in Amestris. Ed didn't notice at first the slight trembling in the ground at his feet, so entranced was he, but when it started to move the bench with the force of the tremors, there was no way to overlook it. He whipped his head around in a slight panic, his gold eyes meeting the alarmed ones of Alphonse.

Below the bench on the cobblestones, an alchemy circle flared to life in a brilliant blue that was almost to bright to look directly at. The bench holding the brothers started to sink into the circle, too quickly for them to do anything but grasp each other's hands. They had come to far too be separated again.

"Brother!" Al cried out. It was the last thing Ed heard in this world that was not his before they disappeared into the circle. His last thought hoping that Noa wouldn't panic when they didn't return.

They landed with a jarring thump, still seated on the bench. Ed looked around. "Holy hell, Al, we're home!" He cried, jumping up and running around with a grin on his face. Al tackled him from behind.

"Whoohoo, Brother! I don't care how it happened, we're back!" They wrestled playfully for a moment, letting of some happy testosterone, then both rolling onto their backs to watch the sky. It was noon, judging by the position of the sun, with blue skies interspersed by puffy white clouds. An identical transmutation circle to before appeared directly above them. Al rolled out from underneath it quickly, but Ed, always the slower of the two was just a tad too sluggish. Something fell out of the circle and landed hard on top of him.

"Bloody hell," the thing said as Ed swore in pain. He looked down, wide-eyed to find that it was a female that lay sprawled across his lap. Emerald green hair spilled over his stomach as she raised her face to look at him. Her violet eyes widened perceptively, almost as big as his felt. Ed couldn't help noticing that they were round, but slightly tip-tilted, giving her a somewhat exotic flair.

"Bloody hell," she repeated, springing away from him like he was carrying the plague. Alphonse was shocked into silence as well. The three of them stayed that way, frozen for what seemed like an eternity.

_What the hell did I do? _Victoria screamed within her mind. This was incomprehensible. Where was she? _WHAT THE HELL DID I DO?!_ The only thing that came out of her mouth, breaking the tense silence was, "Well, didn't see that one coming when I decided to mess with a bunk science."

She promptly fainted.

Ed wondered about her words. Was she the cause of the transmutation circle? How? And what was with her odd clothes and hair? So many questions, but it didn't look like he was going to get any answers soon, as the strange girl was out cold. Al had leapt immediately into action, knight in shining armor that he was, and was trying to wake her gently.

Edward was not feeling quite so gentle. He stormed over and pinched her arm. Hard.

The girl woke, startled, and crying out in pain. A twinge of guilt pricked his conscience, but he quickly shoved it aside. He stared hard at the petite young woman who glared at him with eyes as hard as chips of amethyst. Ed swore the color started to swirl for a moment.

"Who the hell are you and how did you get a transmutation circle to work?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello lovelies! Back with the second chapter. Woot, I'm on a roll. Just putting this out there, but I'm looking for a beta for this story, and possibly for others as well, so if you are interested in, click on the profile thingamabob and send a message. ^_^ It's about three o'clock in the morning right now where I live, and my insomnia is starting to make a reappearance. Anyone know a good way to get to sleep? I've heard warm milk with honey works, but I've yet to try it.**

**I also want to thank Sorii for being the first person to put this story on her alerts, and Deenami-Nicole-Sciashi for my first review. Reviews are what cheer me up every day, so don't forget to leave one! **

**Kisses to everyone!**

**xx**

**Irish**

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_Previously:_

_Ed wondered about her words. Was she the cause of the transmutation circle? How? And what was with her odd clothes and hair? So many questions, but it didn't look like he was going to get any answers soon, as the strange girl was out cold. Al had leapt immediately into action, knight in shining armor that he was, and was trying to wake her gently._

_Edward was not feeling quite so gentle. He stormed over and pinched her arm. Hard._

_The girl woke, startled, and crying out in pain. A twinge of guilt pricked his conscience, but he quickly shoved it aside. He stared hard at the petite young woman who glared at him with eyes as hard as chips of amethyst. Ed swore the color started to swirl for a moment._

"_Who the hell are you and how did you get a transmutation circle to work?"_

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_Rizembool, Amestris 1919_

Chapter 2

Victoria stared at the young man with the long blond hair. What the hell? She didn't know quite what to make of him. The man before her and the one holding her had enough similar features for her to assume some familial relation, but the man holding her had a gentle voice, whereas the blond man in front of her had bad temper written all over him. They both wore clothes that looked like they belonged in the early nineteen hundreds. The blond man holding her gently shifted her so that she was sitting on her own, releasing her as he realized she wasn't going to faint again. Victoria smiled gratefully, turning her own temper to the man standing before her.

"Shove the attitude where the sun doesn't shine, pal. I'm just as confused as you apparently are," she snapped. "I don't even know where the hell I am. I was on my way to Berlin, reading a book, and the next thing I knew, the stupid transmutation circle was glowing! I just found out what a transmutation circle _was_ half an hour ago!"

Edward felt a muscle tick in his jaw as his temper started to rise. "Are you from this world, or the world of science?" He asked. He had to know. If she had successfully created a transmutation circle on the other side of the gate, there was the possibility that others could as well. Others who would try to invade and destroy his world. Again. Ed needed to know how this fluke had occurred, so that he could find some way to prevent it.

"What the hell kind of question is that? There _is _only my world, and _of course_ it's a world of science. It isn't called the Age of Technology for nothing, you know."

"Don't be so arrogant," Ed snapped. "You really think with all the possibilities there are out there, all the new discoveries made every day, that your world is alone in the entire universe? That there can't be other planets with life, or even parallel worlds?" He didn't give her the chance to respond. "What year are you from?"

Victoria blinked in surprise. "Two thousand and nine, bordering on twenty ten. Why?"

Ed swore.

Alphonse took the opportunity to step into the conversation. "Brother, we're obviously home, so we should find out our exact location and find a place to talk more comfortably about this. We won't solve anything by sitting out in the open where just anyone can see us."

Ed looked at his brother solemnly and nodded. Al was right. Who knows how long they had been gone this time, the two worlds weren't synced for time frames, and at home they both had many enemies that would be glad to get their hands on the two alchemists and the odd tag-along. If she could work alchemy on the other side of the gate, where it was supposed to be impossible, who was to say what that power could do amplified by his world.

Victoria kept glancing between the two brothers. She was obviously missing something vastly important.

"What's your name? Mine is Alphonse, and this is my older brother Edward," Al asked, smiling disarmingly and holding out a hand to assist her in standing. They needed to watch over this girl who so obviously didn't belong in this world so that nothing bad happened to her. For all they knew, the military would want to take her and turn her into a human guinea pig for the research department.

"I'm Victoria," she responded, accepting his help because she had the feeling it would hurt his feelings slightly if she didn't. He seemed like a nice enough guy, and if what the one called Edward said was true, then she would need someone to help her make her way through this strange land. Without warning, she reached out and pinched Edward's arm.

"What the hell was that for?!" he yelled.

"Retaliation," she replied coolly. Victoria smiled winningly up at Alphonse. "Lead on, _mon ami_, as I've no idea where to begin."

Alphonse raised an eyebrow in interest. "_Parlez vous fracias, mademoiselle?"_

"_Oui. Je suis le linguiste; Greque, Espagnol, Allemand, et Japonias aussi," _Victoria responded, a little shocked that he knew how to speak French.

Al was impressed. It wasn't every day that you met someone who could speak six different languages, and it was a little chauvinistic he would admit, but it was even rarer to find a woman who could do so fluently. "And you are well versed in all of those?"

"Yes. I was going to become an archeologist after I received my Bachelor's Degree, but the economy kind of put a hold on many jobs being available."

Ed was about ready to blow a fuse. They had to find out who and what this girl was, how she did what she did, and stop it from happening again, and his brother was infatuated with how many languages she knew?! Granted, it was impressive, but they had better things to be worrying about. "Al, quit your mooning and lets go find out exactly where in Amestris we are," he snapped, turning on his booted heel and starting to walk away from his brother and the girl. He shouldn't be irritated that Al was taking an interest in her, but he was, for some strange, inexplicable reason. No, he told himself, he was just looking out for Alphonse. Who knew what kind of person she was. He heard the scrambling of feet as the two hurried to catch up with his clipped strides.

"You know," Victoria gasped, trying to fill her lungs with much needed oxygen, "For someone so short, you walk way too fast."

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Victoria grumbled to herself as she followed the two brothers over the open fields. The gently rolling landscape was gorgeous, but she would have appreciated it a bit more if she wasn't being hurried along by the short tempered alchemist. Over the last twenty minutes, after her inadvertent insult about his height, Edward had only told her that he was an alchemist. Wait, no. He had informed her that he was a _prodigy_ of an alchemist. Arrogant swine. Alphonse had been pleasant enough, but eventually his brother's tense attitude stopped the nervous babble that had been spilling out of his mouth since they started walking.

They crested a knoll, and there in the valley below them, a little town sprawled across the expanse of green, quaint and charming. Al and Edward broke out in excited grins, all traces of bad mood vanishing. Victoria made a mental note of the scene. She knew she would always remember the picture of the two brothers, elated, boyish faces excited, but with eyes that were too ancient to truly fit.

She didn't have time to ponder much over it however, as in their excitement, Ed started down the hill, Al grabbing her hand absent-mindedly to tug her along after them. They headed slightly off to the left, where Victoria could see a house perched on top of a small hill. As they approached it, Victoria's trepidation grew, though she couldn't explain it, and Edward and Alphonse quickened their pace.

An old dog lay in the yard, picking its head up at their approach. Her exuberant barking at the sight of the boys was clear in the lazy-feeling afternoon, and soon a young woman came out to inspect what all the racket was. Victoria saw her eyes widen, then fill with tears as a delighted smile lit her face. She ran pell-mell down the hill, tackling Edward to the ground in her eagerness. Victoria idly wondered if they were lovers. A stream of incoherent words were spilling from the blond girl's lips, but she assumed they were happy ones.

"Winry, I think you're going to strangle Brother if you don't let up a little," Alphonse teased. The girl, Winry, took the chance to launch herself on him as well, causing Al to drop Victoria's hand.

Ed laid where Winry had left him, trying to get his breath back. The damn girl hit like a train. He smiled, though, happy to see his childhood friend. He had almost lost hope that he ever would. Ed watched as she smothered Al for a moment. Victoria caught his eye as she backed slightly further away from the tear-filled (on Winry's part) reunion. He would have said that she looked slightly wistful, maybe a tad awkward, but she turned her face away too quickly.

"I missed you two so much!" Winry exclaimed, wiping away the impromptu tears as if they offended her. "Granny will be pleased to see you as well! Where were you? You'll have to tell me all about it…" she trailed off at the sound of squeaking metal. Winry turned accusing eyes in Edward's direction. "I heard that. You haven't been taking care of your automail properly have you? Come inside, and let me get a look at it."

Ed knew when Winry finally noticed Victoria. Her back stiffened slightly, her eyes narrowing in the slightest. What the hell was that look for? Victoria hadn't even opened her highly offensive mouth yet. Alright, so maybe he was being slightly unfair due to the height-ist remark, but still. He watched Victoria smile guardedly. Apparently she had noticed Winry's odd behavior as well.

"Hello, I'm Victoria. Sorry to intrude, I'm just tagging along after these two," she said, gesturing at he and Al with her thumb. Winry's strange attitude fled as if it had never been.

"Why don't the three of you come in, and I'll go grab Granny Pinako." She turned to Edward. "_You _had better be in the automail room when I come back so I see what kind of damage you've wrought on my masterpieces."

Ed gulped. This was not the way he had envisioned his first night back, but he supposed he should have, knowing Winry the way he did. He nodded his head in compliance. This was going to be a long night. Hopefully Pinako would make him a large welcome home dinner.

The thought cheered him immensely.

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**Finished this at exactly four o-seven in the morning. I'm going to go pass out now. Night lovelies. Don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Chapter three is finally up! Sorry it took so long, but I've been updating some of my other stories that I've been neglecting. If you're interested in what other crazy plots run through my demented mind, check out the profile and some of my other stories. I warn you, there are a lot of OC's in my stories; mainly because I can build them any which way I want *evil cackle*. Anywho, I love you all that read my stories and even more the ones that leave reviews! I'll have some artwork up on my Deivant page to go along with this story soon, as well, so keep checking for that as well. Ciao!**

**Xx**

**Irish**

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(·_·)

Victoria watched in avid fascination as Winry forced Edward into a nearby chair. Pinako, who insisted Victoria call her Auntie, was in the kitchen finishing up with dinner. With threats of starvation and torture hanging over his head, Ed had reluctantly given in to Winry's not-so-tender ministrations on his automail.

She'd been amazed, and slightly embarrassed when Ed had begun stripping down to his under-shorts without warning. Alphonse had noticed the blush rising on her cheeks and had taken it upon himself to explain about Edward's automail limbs.

The concept awed her. She couldn't help but edge closer to get a better view of the mechanics. Winry noticed her interest.

"Never seen automail before?" She asked, poking with pliers at some wires.

Victoria shook her head. "I worked on cars for a living once, so I'm familiar with mechanics, but we don't have anything like this where I come from. How does it work?"

Winry smiled, launching into a detailed explanation of her favorite subject. Ed huffed in annoyance, earning him a smack on the prosthetic limb with a wrench. "To put it in basic terms, the subject is fitted with a plate around the area that the automail will be attached to, having gel packs fastened to the severed nerve endings. The gel packs take the neuron impulses from the brain and turn them into electric pulses, allowing the automail to function like a normal limb. The person won't be able to have a sense of touch, or pain in that limb, except during re-fittings, but they will be able to function normally."

"Sweet," Victoria breathed, reaching out and brushing her fingers over the shoulder plate.

"I'm not a statue or an alien, so stop gawking!" Ed snapped. Victoria's finger's recoiled as if burnt, the soft look in her eyes caused by her curiosity vanished, replaced by apathy. No one was a master at covering their feelings like Victoria.

"Sorry if I made you feel that way, Ed. I was just curious," she deadpanned, turning on her heel and going to see if Pinako needed any help in the kitchen.

"That wasn't nice, Brother, she was just curious," Al reprimanded, frowning at his older brother. What had gotten into him? He wasn't usually so surly with people he didn't know. "I'm going to go make sure you didn't hurt her feelings." Alphonse followed Victoria into the adjacent room.

Ed grumbled crossly, daring to take a peek at Winry. She was frowning, working none-too-gently on his forearm, and if he could feel that arm, he would probably be screaming in pain. "What got into you?" He asked her, voice harsh because he knew he had been out of line.

"You are a complete moron, Edward Elric," Winry snapped. Without warning, she unscrewed the hinges and pulled his arm off. "I've got to make some adjustments to your automail, you've grown a bit since the last time I replaced it. I'll work on your arm tonight, and make a new leg over the next few days."

Ed perked up a bit at her statement. "I've grown? I knew it didn't fit quite right anymore, but I thought that it was due to lack of maintenance."

"That is something to discuss later when I've got plenty of time to lecture," she replied. "And Ed? I'm glad you're back." Winry smiled before disappearing into her workshop, leaving Ed sitting in the living room, clad only in his underwear. If he wasn't so used to it, having this happen every time Winry got her hands on his automail, Ed would probably be slightly uncomfortable.

As it was, he stood and joined his brother and his irritating visitor in the kitchen, curious as to what Pinako was cooking. He stopped in the doorway, however, watching his brother interacting with Victoria.

It irritated him the way Alphonse was leaning over her, his hand on her shoulder, annoyance flaring when she turned her head to smile at him. His brother was such a bleeding heart sometimes. Ed couldn't put his finger on it, but something about the female from the other side of the gate just rubbed him the wrong way. Her long emerald hair was tied back with a ribbon as she chopped vegetables for whatever Pinako had planned, and Ed watched Al brush a rebellious strand behind her ear.

Ed's eyes narrowed. He decided to let his presence known. "So what's Auntie got cooking?"

They both turned to look at him, Al slightly startled (was that a flash of guilt?), Victoria glaring at him. He felt his stomach tighten into a knot when he saw that her eyes were slightly red-rimmed. Had she been crying? He doubted the prickly female would fall to that after only a slightly scathing remark from him. He reasoned it must be the onion she was busy hacking away at.

"Go away, Edward," she replied testily. "And go put some clothes on. You don't see anyone else running around in their underwear."

"Hard to get dressed with only one arm," he argued automatically.

"I've broken my arm before, and I did plenty fine getting clothes on with only one arm." She turned to Alphonse. "Al, would you mind finishing this for me? I'm sorry, but I feel like taking a walk. Get my bearings, so to speak."

"Sure, Victoria. I don't mind. Auntie Pinako should be back soon anyway, so don't be gone long or Brother will eat all the food on you."

Victoria graced Al with another soft smile, handing over the knife and all but fleeing out the door, not even glancing in Ed's direction. Ed huffed. Damn irritating female.

"She's right, you know," Al said with a smile. "You really should go get some clothes on. It's hardly warm enough to be running around in your shorts, especially with females in the house. Winry might be desensitized to it, but I'm almost positive it makes Victoria uncomfortable."

"She didn't seem all that affected to me," Ed replied, sitting in one of the kitchen chairs and totally ignoring his brother's suggestion. There was no way that the other-worlder was disturbed by his lack of apparel. Her eyes had been completely void of emotion except when she had been admiring the automail. And if it did disrupt her calm demeanor, good. He hoped it bothered her as much as she bothered him. Juvenile, yes, but very emotionally satisfying. Ed wondered where all these hostile feelings were surfacing from.

"That is because you are emotionally repressed, Brother."

Ed snorted.

"It's true, but we won't go into that now."

"Al, you are physically eighteen. What would you know about being emotionally repressed? Your body is at the stage where hormones are still ruling your judgement."

"That's my point. You never seemed to let yours rule you, even when we were younger, and now you don't let many people get close to you. I repeat, emotionally repressed," Alphonse put the chopped onion into the salad bowl on the counter, starting on the radishes.

"I had better things to think about as a teenager than girls and raging hormones. Like getting your body back, then finding a way back through the gate. Not to mention saving Amestris from the Thule Society and stopping the scientist with the uranium bomb."

"What uranium bomb?" Victoria's voice floated to him from the doorway. He turned to look at her. She seemed calmer, her hair loose once more, tousled slightly from the evening breeze.

"A scientist escaped from this world and into yours with a bomb. He called the element 'uranium'."

"I know what it is. I even know how they work and somewhat how to make one. They were invented in the nineteen forties. America dropped two on Japan during World War II," she said, not realizing the blow she was dealing the two young men. "Are you saying that it was originally invented in this world?"

Ed nearly choked on his tongue. "You know how to make one?" He stuttered. "I can't believe after all our effort, he still managed to utilize that horrible weapon."

"Yeah, I know the basic concepts. I couldn't actually put one together without blowing up the nearby countryside, however. I may be a genius, but I'm not that good. My world nearly destroyed itself after the invention of the atomic bomb." Her voice turned slightly said, musing about the tragedies the weapon had created. "We leveled Hiroshima and Nagasaki; between the initial blasts and radiation poisoning, we could only estimate that around two hundred thousand people died."

"Two hundred _thousand?_" Al breathed, horrified. Victoria nodded solemnly.

"What's radiation poisoning?" Ed queried.

"It's what happens to people who are exposed to the active elements in the air after an atomic blast. The victims get really sick, have strange burns on their skin, and eventually die. Very few have actually survived, and even then they have to have a very mild case of it."

The occupants of the kitchen were silent for what seemed an indeterminate amount of time. The awkward and gloomy silence broken by a very old dog hobbling through the door. She stopped to nudge Victoria's hand with her muzzle.

"I hope that the salad is done," Pinako's voice crackled in through the window.

"Ack!" Al returned to chopping the vegetables with renewed fervor, Victoria laughing lightly and assisting him. Ed was too lost in thought to even notice the camaraderie between the woman and his younger brother. He jumped when a finger poked him in the side. A squeal that could hardly be considered manly escaped his lips, and he turned to glare at the perpetrator. Of course it was Winry, only she and Al knew his ticklish spot. A giggle reached his ears, and he glared at the suspiciously innocent Victoria, who was concentrating far too hard on her current task. Both Winry and his brother were fighting to hold back grins.

"Go put some clothes on, Edward Elric. It's obscene to eat dinner practically naked," Winry scolded.

"Arg! All right! I give up!" He threw his remaining hand up into the air dramatically and stomped out of the kitchen. They could hear him pounding up the stairs and into the room he and Alphonse used when they stayed at the house.

Winry frowned. "What's up with him?"

Victoria couldn't hold it in any longer. She laughed so hard, she developed a stitch in her side. Soon Al and Winry were joining her. Laughter was more infectious than a virus, after all.

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Victoria lay, hands behind her head, and stared up at the stars. Stars that were similar to the ones hovering in the sky in her own world. Similar, yet different. She couldn't figure out how she had ended up here, in Amestris, when according to the Elric brothers alchemy was supposed to be impossible on her side of the gate. What was the variable that had changed the basic physics of space and time? Through all her hypothesis, all her supposing, she couldn't put her finger on it. A shooting star crossed her vision, another one streaking immediately after it. All she had done was make a wish, but wishing had never worked for her before. Wishing, trying the transmutation circle…Victoria sat upright, gasping aloud at her epiphany.

"That has to be it! That was the only strange variable, the only thing that was out of place in that world! There wasn't even a report that it would be there…" Victoria was so excited, she didn't even hear the person intruding on her solitude.

"You know only insane people talk to themselves," Ed's voice emerged from the darkness.

"There is a fine line between genius and insanity. I've been known to jump from side to side," she replied calmly, once again adopting apathy as a defense to his brash attitude.

"Self-proclaimed genius, anyway. So," he hurried on, before sparking an argument, "what was the big revelation?"

The corner's of Victoria's mouth tipped down in a frown of concentration. "Well, I can't be sure, but I think…Al said that you and he had no luck with transmutation circles on the other side of the gate, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I found a book on alchemy, and I was practicing drawing the transmutation circles that the author had given examples of. I changed one slightly, just out of instinct, and I looked out the window of the train. There was a _comet_. A comet in the sky where there were no reports of one being near Earth at the time. There are legends in my world about comets being transports for wishes to the gods. I don't remember which culture it came from, but it is an old legend.

"What if, and this is just theoretical, what if the comet caused a disturbance between the fields that separate our worlds. Alphonse mentioned a gate, but I never saw one. One minute I was in my world, the next I was here, which suggests that there was a direct connection between this world and mine, no gate needed as a middle man to transport the flow of molecules from one dimension to the other. We need to find out if there was a comet in the sky here last night or during the day today, since that is when we arrived."

Ed sucked in a breath, catching the gist of her rambling. "But that would mean.."

"That some astronomical phenomena are not limited to physics as we know them," Victoria finished for him. "That key might be my ticket home."

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**There is chapter three lovlies! Make sure to leave a review!**


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